Conveyer.



No. 666,865. Patented Jan. 29, I90l. E. HE LFENSTELLER, In.

IIHIIIIIIII nmmm ,1 I W W lunmM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST HELFENSTELLER, JR, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,865, dated January29, 1901.

Aonlication filed October 16, 1900.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST HELFENSTEL- LER, J r., a citizen of theUnited States, residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Conveyers, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such aswill enable others skilled'in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which Figure l is a plan view of myimproved conveyer. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 2 2,Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of one of the cams andconveyor-bars. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the near wall of thecam-block removed. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the cam-block. Fig. 6 is amodified form of conveyor-bar, and Fig. '7 is a crosssectional view ofthe same.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in conveyers ofthat type wherein movable bars support the articles to be moved, meansbeing provided to impart cycloidal movement to the conveyer-bars,wherebythe articles are advanced step by step over said bar.

My present invention consists in the arrangement, construction, andcombination of the several parts, all as will hereinafter be de scribedand afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A indicates the walls of the conveyor, in which aremounted shafts B, one end of said shafts carrying bevel-gears b, withwhich mesh beveled pinions c on a driving-shaft O.

D indicates cams fixed on the shafts B, said cams being preferablyarranged in pairs, as shown, the cams of each pair being oppositelyplaced.

E indicates the conveyor-bars, which are preferably made insections,'the ends of the bars terminating above the centers of theirrespective supporting-cams.

F indicates cam-blocks in the form of saddles, which are grooved intheir upper faces to receive the bars E, the lower faces of said camblocks or saddles being provided with a cam-seat, which in theconstruction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 extends sufficiently high to cutSerial No. 33,212. (No model.)

through the bar-receiving groove, whereby the conveyer-bars extend intothe cam-seat, as shown in Fig. -l. The cams are preferably provided withgrooves to receive the ends of the con veyer-bars, whereby said barsserve to prevent lateral displacement of themselves and of theircarrying saddle-blocks. Where the conveyer-bars are exposed to varyingtemperatures, it is obvious that expansion and contraction would destroythe proper relation between the parts, and especially so if the conveyerwas of any length, and I therefore provide means to accommodate thisexpansion and contraction, whereby the parts will at all times maintainproper relation to each other. I accomplish this by providing slots ineither or both the conveyer-bars and saddle-blocks for the reception ofthe attaching-bolts f, (see Fig. 4,) said slots or openings beingelongated in the direction in which the parts expand or contract. Theconveyer-bars are also spaced apart, so as to permit of independentexpansion without disturbing the relative position of their adjacentcompanions. These conveyer-bars may have any desired cross-sectionsuch,for instance, as T, angle, I, channel, or other standard or specialshapes. In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown an adaptation of a special shape,in the form of an I-bar E laid on its side, the channel in the upperface thereof receiving and carrying magnesia blocks, fire-brick, orother suitable non -heat-conducting material E While the channel in thelower face receives a saddle-block F, seated upon a cam. In thisinstance there is no central web extending through the saddle-block, andtherefore the cam need not be provided with a peripheral groove; but theflanges of the'conveyer-bar are utilized to hold the bar in position onthe cam and the saddle-block in its proper position by extending down oneach side of the cam, as shown in Fig. 7. In this form the openings forthe attaching-bolts between the saddle and bars are preferably elongatedin a direction that the parts tend to expand and contract.

From the above it will be seen that the device is extremely simple inthe employment of conveyor-bars of such shape that they projectdownwardly beyond the saddle-block at some point to engage theoperating-cams and hold themselves and the saddle-blocks in position. Bymaking the conveyer-bars in short sections repairs may be easily andquickly made, and when the saddle-blocks are worn they may be renewedwith but little expense. The operation of my improved conveyer isevident from an examination of the drawings, wherein it will be observedthat a pair of bars alternately support the article to be conveyed andadvance said article to a point where it is taken by the rising pair ofbars, the descending pair receding until again in position to take thearticle and advance it.

It is obvious that any number of cams may be arranged on the shaft,whereby any desired number of conveyer-bars may be employed, and,further, that these cam-shafts may be arranged as close together asdesired. I am aware that minor changes in the arrangement, construction,and combination of the several parts of my device can be made andsubstituted for those herein shown and described without in the leastdeparting from the nature and principle of my invention. Forillustration, instead of using bevel-gearing to drive the shafts Bchains and sprockets may be employed or worm-gearing may be used. It isalso obvious that the joints of the conveyer-bars may be locatedelsewhere than over the centers of the cam-blocks. Also that instead ofarranging the oppositelyplaced cams on the same shaft separate shaftscan be arranged close together, with the cams on each shaft set in thesame direction, but opposite to the cams on the companion shaft, and itis also evident that, if desired, bifurcated standards may be arrangedto guide the eonveyer bars in their vertical movement, in which eventthe means provided on said bars for preventing lateral displacementthereof relative to their respective cams can be dispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In a conveyer, the combination with a plurality of driven shaftsrotating in the same direction and at uniform speed, of a plurality ofoppositely-placed cams arranged on each ofsaid shafts, saddle-blocksriding upon said cams, and conveyer-bars secured to said saddle-blocks;substantially as described.

2. In a conveyer, the combination with a plurality of driven shafts, ofcams on said shafts, saddles arranged on said cams, and conveyer-barssecured to said saddles, said conveyer-bars having a member extendingbeneath some portion of the saddle to engage the cam and hold the partsagainst lateral displacement; substantially as described.

3. The combination with adriven shaft, of a cam mounted thereon, acam-block, and conveyer-bars whose ends terminate in said cam-block, theends of said conveyer-bars having loose connections with the cam-block;substantially as described.

4. In a conveyer, the combination with driven shafts, ofoppositely-placed cams arranged thereon, cam-blocks riding upon eachcam, conveyor-bars extending from one camblock to the next, and havingone member engage the cam to prevent lateral displacement of the parts,and loose connections between the cam-block and said conveyer-bars toaccommodate expansion and contraction of said parts; substantially asdescribed.

5. The combination with a driven shaft, of a cam arranged thereon, acam-block riding upon the cam, a conveyer-bar having a member extendingbeneath the cam-block atsome portion to prevent lateral displacement,and non-heat-conducting material carried by said eonveyer-bar;substantially as described.

6. The combination with a driven shaft, of a cam mounted thereon, acam-block, an I- shaped conveyor-bar having its depending flangesengaging the cam, and non-heat-conducting material arranged between theupwardly-extending flanges of the conveyerbar;

substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto alfix my signature, in the presence oftwo witnesses, this 12th day of October, 1900.

ERNEST HELFENSTELLER, J R.

Witnesses:

WM. H. Soo'rr, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

